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UNIVERSITY PARK - Penn State wrestling christened its 119th varsity season and the 18th year of the Cael Sanderson era in style on Thursday evening, as the Nittany Lions utilized eight bonus-point victories and nine wins overall to record a 42-3 win over the Bloomsburg Huskies inside a sold-out Rec Hall.
The Blue & White won nine of the evening's ten bouts, including eight victories in bonus-point fashion. Penn State managed to outscore their in-state challengers by a 137-39 margin in bout scoring, riding a 39-3 edge in the takedown battle to accomplish that feat.
Penn State's dominant showing on opening night was headlined by the debut of Masanosuke Ono, who logged a 20-9 major decision in his first collegiate outing against Bloomsburg's Austin Pollard. PSU also managed a first-period pin on Thursday night, with 149-pound fifth-year Shayne Van Ness, the weight's No. 4 wrestler per InterMat, doing the honors.
In addition to Ono and Van Ness' performances, the Nittany Lions saw technical fall victories come from junior top-ranked 125-pounder Luke Lilledahl, sophomore No. 1 165-pounder PJ Duke, fifth-year No. 1 174-pounder Mitchell Mesenbrink, senior second-ranked 184-pounder Rocco Welsh and senior top-ranked 197-pounder Josh Barr.
The Blue & White were victorious in the 23rd all-time meeting with their in-state opponents, rising to 17-5-1 overall when battling Bloomsburg in dual meet competition. The Nittany Lions have now won each of the last seven duals against the Huskies, picking up a win in the first matchup since the 2011-12 season.
With the win, Penn State booked its 93rd season-opening victory, including the 17th regular season-opening win under the direction of head coach Cael Sanderson. The victory saw Penn State improve to 1-0 overall, extending the longest dual meet winning streak in the history of NCAA wrestling to 87 consecutive. Bloomsburg dropped back to an even 2-2 through the early going in the 2026-27 season.
Penn State wrestling continues its season-opening dual weekend with a road trip to Norman, Oklahoma, this Sunday, as the Nittany Lions prepare to challenge the No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners inside McCasland Field House. Opening bout for Penn State's road opener is scheduled for 8 p.m.